We should support youth in their call for gun control

IECN Photos/Anthony Victoria: Hundreds turned out for the March For Our Lives event in downtown San Bernardino last weekend to demand for stricter gun laws nationwide. Students from local schools were in unison with some of the survivors of the Inland Regional Center massacre that killed 14 people on Dec. 2, 2015.

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There were many young faces among the crowd at March For Our Lives rallies across the Southern California region last weekend.

One Arroyo Valley High School student–who preferred to speak in anonymity–admitted they had only followed movements online. For the first time, they experienced what it was like to participate in a form of direct protest or civil action.

Quivering due to nerves or because of painful memories, dozens of students pledged to work towards reducing gun violence.

Slacktivism, the act of carrying out social activism on social media with little effort, is being abandoned by high school students as they’ve become inspired by their contemporaries in Parkland, Florida.

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The pieces are set in motion for yet another student-led movement that could alter the way in which people live across the U.S.

I, for one, believe we should support our youth in their call for gun control. Unfortunately, many of them have first-hand experiences of gun violence and could testify in support of legislative efforts.

Shout out to Scott Salazar and Monique Salazar for allowing me to highlight their story in the Inland Empire Community News. They have five lovely children: Josiah, 15, twins Jada and Jordan, 12, and twins Khloe and Kaliyah, 9 months.

They aim to open their new store front on Colton Avenue by early April, confirmed Scott. “We’re taking a big risk, but we decided to try it.”

Perhaps the Colton Chamber of Commerce could help equip the Salazar family with some effective business tools?

San Bernardino’s election candidates for Mayoral and City Council seats are now all confirmed, according to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.

In the First Ward, former San Bernardino Fine Arts Commissioner Gil Botello, community advocate Miguel Rivera, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ted Sanchez, and resident Margaret Castaneda are running.

The Second Ward will see Cecilia Dolan and Sandra Ibarra face off against incumbent Benito Barrios.

In the Fourth Ward Alex Beltran and Jesus Medina are trying to knock off Councilman Fred Shorett.

For the Mayorship you have seven candidates–Mayor Carey Davis, Councilman John Valdivia, San Bernardino City Unified School District Board Member Danny Tillman, City Clerk Gigi Hanna, business owner Karmel Roe, community advocate Rick Avila, and resident Danny Malmuth in the running.

If you care for early predictions, the First and Second Ward races are wide open, Shorett will be re-elected, and Davis and Valdivia will move on to the run-off in November. But don’t count out Gigi!